Identifier

Author

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Despite increased research and improved treatment modalities, rates of lapse and relapse remain high. Women in particular experience poorer smoking cessation outcomes (including more relapse), presumably due to unique considerations such as the hormonal milieu. Despite some conflicting results, researchers have speculated that timing cessation attempts to coincide with the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, where levels of neuroprotective progesterone are at their peak, may decrease nicotine withdrawal and increase cessation success. Timing treatment onset with the luteal phase may positively impact smoking variables that influence cessation, such as withdrawal symptoms, tobacco craving, self-efficacy to quit, and motivation to quit among female smokers. The current study investigated if the luteal phase results in lower self-reported severity of withdrawal symptoms and tobacco cravings, as well as higher reported self-efficacy and motivation to quit, compared to study participants in the late follicular phase. Female participants (n = 9; luteal phase n = 5, late follicular phase n = 4) completed online study measures. Menstrual cycle phase was determined based upon self-report (i.e., length of menses, length of cycle, last previous menses, next expected menses). Participants in the luteal and late follicular phases did not differ in smoking cessation-related variables (i.e., withdrawal severity, craving intensity, self-efficacy, motivation). Additionally, there was no evidence that the smoking cessation-related variables moderated the relationship between phase group and motivation to quit.